High Schools in Sylacauga City

There is just one high school serving grades 9 through 12 in Sylacauga City, Alabama: Sylacauga High School, which is part of the Sylacauga City district and enrolls 627 students.

For parents, the most important takeaway is that Sylacauga High School is a school with a clear academic split. In the most recent testing year (2025–2026), 11th graders posted a strong 42.33% proficiency rate in English, well above the state average of 33.73%. However, math proficiency fell to 22.42% (below the state’s 27.21%) and science dropped to 27.27% (compared to the state’s 36.17%). This represents a sharp year-over-year decline in both STEM subjects—math fell by 5.6 percentage points and science by nearly 10 points—which likely explains why the school’s state ranking slipped from the 80th percentile (4 stars) in 2024–2025 to the 62nd percentile (3 stars) in 2025–2026. On a positive note, the school’s graduation rate is a strong 94.5%, beating the state’s 91.5%.

A significant concern is chronic absenteeism. At 22.3%, the rate is nearly double the state average of 12.0% and higher than the district’s 17.7%. This is especially puzzling given the high graduation rate, suggesting students eventually complete their degrees but miss substantial instructional time, which may be contributing to the STEM declines. With about half of students (49.92%) receiving free or reduced lunch, the school faces moderate economic challenges, yet it still achieves above-average English scores and graduation outcomes. Per-student spending is $10,937, below the national average, indicating efficient use of resources. The path forward for Sylacauga High School is clear: address absenteeism and invest in targeted math and science support to reverse the recent slide and regain its previous 4-star standing.